


Secrets

by writefasttalkevenfaster



Category: Aquaman (2018), DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/M, aquaman (2018) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 10:01:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19461673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writefasttalkevenfaster/pseuds/writefasttalkevenfaster
Summary: You're Arthur's best kept secret, and he's yours. But what happens when his best kept secret is found out by his worst enemy?





	1. Chapter 1

“Do you have a boyfriend?” 

A simple (but nosy) question. But, unfortunately, nothing was ever quite that simple with your boyfriend. 

“Yes, I do,” your friend pushed your shoulder playfully, grinning, as the two of you wrote down your notes and observations from the ocean today. 

“Why haven’t you mentioned him before?” she sighed, “Y/N, you never tell me anything that’s going on in your personal life, just give me something,” 

You hesitate, racking your brain for something to tell her, “He likes animals?” 

“Pathetic, Y/N, truly pathetic,” she sighed, rising from her chair, as she flipped through her notes, “it’s not your boyfriend is Superman or something,” 

Close, but try someone more sea-worthy, you bite back your response, instead watching your friend retreat. 

Finally, you were freed from work and your friend’s endless questions, as you pulled on your jacket, checking the time. 9:00 PM. Enough time for you to watch the new episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine before falling asleep. You checked your phone for any texts, but you found none. He had been away for a while, and you didn’t expect he would be back anytime soon. 

You rounded corner to your apartment, but that didn’t make you miss him any less. You brushed past someone, “Excuse me,” you muttered. 

“I expected more of a welcome home,” you froze at the familiar gruffness and chuckle, turning to see him, “but I guess you’ve had a long day too?” 

“Much better now that you’re here,” he grabbed your hand, pulling you into his arms, as you buried your face in his chest, “I missed you, Arthur.” 

“Trust me, I missed you more,” he pressed a kiss to your forehead, brushing back your hair, “a month of Orm telling me what to do to be a proper king, and lessons with Mera and Vulko on culture and history,” he shook his head, “I think my head would have overheated if we weren’t underwater.” 

You laughed, intertwining your fingers with him, and leading him inside, “Has Orm been released yet?” 

He shook his head, as he took a seat on the couch, “Vulko wants to make sure he doesn’t have any funny ideas about taking the throne from me, but after these lessons, he should be more worried about me.” 

You handed him a drink, curling on the couch beside him, as he draped his hand over the back, “You’re going to be an amazing king, Arthur. You’re a hero,” 

“What if it isn’t enough?” he whispered, as you shifted to face him, pressing a kiss to his lips. 

“It’s already more than enough,” you tilted your head, “you’ve proven yourself to the people of Atlantis. I think the person doubting you the most is yourself. Have some faith,” you kissed him with each word, “I do.” 

“Even after I hid in a whale?”

“Turns out Pinocchio has some good escape strategies,” and he smiled, pulling you closer, “what?” 

“I really love you, Y/N,” his smile reached his eyes, “You know that, right?” 

“Remind me,” and he did, rising from his spot on the couch, and led you to your bedroom. 

* * *

“Have you told them about me yet?” Arthur’s eyes rose from the dinner table, your hands wringing in your lap. 

“I haven’t,” he admitted, he held up his hands, “but I will. There just hasn’t been a good time.” 

“Even when they pressure you to find a queen?” he frowned, brow wrinkling with every word, “Arthur, they may have one for you when you go back, and then what?” 

“Then, I tell them that I’m already in love with a beautiful woman from the surface,” he shrugged, but you only sighed.

“Arthur, if it’s that simple, why haven’t you told them yet?” he hesitated, “I’m tired of being your secret. I’m tired of hiding our relationship. I can’t tell anyone who I’m dating, not even my family,” you buried your face in your hands, “I think they think I’m making you up.” 

“Well, I am a dream,” he grinned, as he rose and wrapped his arms around you, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, “I will talk to them about it when I get back. I promise.” His kisses continued, trailing them down your neck, as he slinked the strap of your tank top down your shoulder, allowing him full access, “plus, I think it’s kind of hot,” he emphasized his point with every kiss, “sneaking around like this.” 

“Art-hur!” you squealed, as he lifted you from your chair, and over his shoulder, making his way to the bedroom, “put me down!” 

“If you insist,” he grunted, dropping you to the bed, as he pulled his shirt over his head, tilting his head with a shit-eating grin. 

“Were you that sure you would get lucky?” as he leaned down, pressing a sweet kiss to your lips, until his hands began trailing downwards, tugging on your shorts. 

“I never thought I would get this lucky.” 

* * *

“I can’t do this anymore, Arthur,” your voice broke, as you choked back a sob, “I don’t want to be your secret anymore. I can’t do it.” 

“Y/N, please, I’m on my way back, please let me see you,” and you were sure that his voice broke you more, as fresh tears sprung from your eyes, “Y/N, I love you, please.” 

“I don’t want to see you,” you spat, hoping it would be enough to deter him, but he was Arthur. He was loyal, to a fault. 

“I’m coming by. I’ll be there in an hour. Don’t go anywhere.” The phone clicked off, and Black Manta snatched it from your fingers, crushing it in his fist, as you struggled against your restraints. 

“That won’t be a problem,” he growled, tightening your restraints, as he paced your apartment, “For a secret, you weren’t too difficult to discover. Now where were we?” 


	2. Secrets (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur reflects on your relationship, as he rushes to save you.

Arthur remembered the first time he met you. Alone at a table in the bar he frequented, you were enthralled in a book, not in the people or liquor around you. He found it curious, but paid no mind, instead choosing to sip his beer and keep his gaze on the TV, except, when he found his eyes drifting to you. The next time he saw you, it was more of the same, thought this time your hair was tied up in a bun, and you had traded the book for a notebook, pen to paper, when you didn’t have the tip pressed against your lips. Arthur again said nothing, only offering a smile when your eyes met his, and continuing to focus on the TV. Until he didn’t see you.

Each time, he would walk in, expecting to see you sitting at your usual table, only to find it empty each time, or filled by another. Shoulders sagging, his eyes still remained on the TV, “Looking for her again, Arthur?”

The barkeep gave him a sly grin, but Arthur only smiled, feigning ignorance, “I don’t know what you mean.” He damn sure did.

“I saw the smile you gave that lady, you don’t give smiles like that very often,” he remarked, raising his brow, as the door jingled behind him, before turning away to wipe glasses, “must be pretty special.”

“Pretty special to disappear for a few weeks,” he muttered, not bothering to look up when someone came up to the counter to order.

“Could I have a shirley temple on the rocks?” and again, Arthur didn’t look up, until he felt a shy tap on his arm, and his eyes met your own, “mind if I sit here?”

“Uh, no, no, not at all,” He said, too quickly. The barkeep set the drink in front of you, slipping Arthur another wink that you didn’t seem to notice. Thank god.

“I’ve seen you in here a few times, I think,” you tilted your head, nose scrunched in thought, before your face flushed as his gaze met your own, “I might be wrong.”

“No, I’ve definitely seen you before, nose always in a book right? It’s hard to miss,” he half-admitted, the book may have been why he noticed, but it wasn’t why he kept noticing.

“Yeah, this is the place I usually come to read or to think,” you swirled your drink in its glass absentmindedly, “I’ve been really busy with work so I haven’t been able to make it,” you shared a glance with him, smile reaching your eyes, “but I’m glad I did tonight.”

Arthur knew he had to jump at this chance, he knew he had to, since he had almost lost you without even knowing he had you. It was natural, this electricity between you two, and he didn’t want to give that up – not for anything, “I am too.”

And he still didn’t want to give you up.

You begged him not to come, but that was only all the more reason to go. He couldn’t spend another minute without seeing your smile, hearing your voice, feeling your fingers brush his cheeks – he slammed his fist against the horn, blasting the idiot who cut him off.

Damn it. Fucking damn it. He had spent so much time trying to live up to Atlantis’ expectations of him, he had left you behind.

“You have what?” you laughed, eyes wide with confusion, as if there was a joke you had missed. You pressed a kiss to his lips, fingers carding their way through his hair, the other on his shoulder pulling him closer on the blanket you had spread out on the beach, “now, what is it that you really want to tell me?”

“Y/N, I mean it,” Arthur said softly, and your brow furrowed, as he intertwined your hand, pulling you to your feet, “it would be easier to show you.” You followed him without question, but unspoken questions were written over your face, until he summoned dolphins to the shore, leaping out of the water at his command, and you stood slack-jawed, but still skeptical.

“That could just be a coin-“ he scooped you into his arms, and you screamed, telling him to let you down, before he pressed a kiss to your forehead, quieting your fears, as he asked:

“Do you trust me?” you stared at him in silence for a moment, and in that moment he was scared – scared you wouldn’t accept him, scared you wouldn’t understand what he was all along, and what he had been hesitant to tell you, but his fears were quelled – you nodded. And he carried you into the water. The dolphins circled at his feet, nestling his legs like house cats, while smaller fish swam around them in a large expansive ring, and finally, a great white shark emerged. Your hands curled around his neck tighter, even as the shark circled closer, nudging Arthur’s hand with its snout when he held it out.

He had been afraid of very little in his life, but even so, he was afraid to meet your gaze – what would he see? But instead, he heard you – you laughed nearly in shock, as a dolphin jumped nearby splashing the both of you, and you buried your face in Arthur’s chest. The shark came around again, and this time, you placed your hand carefully on top of his outstretched one, running it over the shark’s skin.

“It’s rough,” you murmured in wonder, and he grinned, “it’s amazing.”

“Yeah, you are,” and you turned to look at him, red clinging to your cheeks, his hand gripping your waist tighter, “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too,” you breathed back and his lips fell on yours, tasting the salt water on your lips, and swallowing your scream as he spun you easily around, “I still have questions.” You added, as he carried you from the water, “a lot of questions.”

“I know.” he pressed a kiss to your head, letting out a low laugh, “but how awesome was that?”

And you only grinned, tucking his wet hair behind his ear, goofily laughing, “As awesome as I always knew you were.”

His fingers tightened against the wheel. How could he have taken you for granted? How could he have hidden you away like you were someone to be ashamed of? How could he make you feel like you had no choice, but to leave?

He would take you Atlantis. First thing, if that is what you wanted. He would do whatever you wished. His heart sank. Even if it meant leaving him.

* * *

You stayed quiet, scowling at the floor, as Black Manta raised his brow, “You know, this is the part where you say something like, ‘you’ll never get away with this.’ Or something like that.” you bore no reaction as he gave a mock sigh, “Nothing, huh? If this wasn’t personal, I think I would like you,” He crouched down in front of you, allowing his helmet to retract, “You’re tough, but I think I can break you, can’t I?”

You locked eyes with his for a moment, before smashing your head to his, sending him sprawling on his ass backwards. You spat at his feet, “You disgust me. Arthur will end you.”

His expression twisted in anger, contorted in pain, “Well I can’t wait to see him try, especially when,” his armor contracted, revealing a trident, “he shows up to see his girlfriend dead.” He pressed the tips into your skin, hard, the three points digging into your skin, until it finally drew blood, and you tensed yourself, but he only laughed, pulling his weapon away, “Nah, I’m not gonna let him off that easy. He can find himself helpless on his knees, begging for help, just like I was,” your expression betrayed your confusion, “Ah your boyfriend didn’t tell you? He let my father die on a submarine. My father’s dead because he said the ocean sought justice, or some shit. Whatever made him sleep easier at night.”

“Killing me isn’t going to bring your father back,” he scoffed.

“Don’t you think I know that?” He held your head backwards, watching you strain against his grip with a grin, “This is good old fashioned revenge.” He let go of you, and you tried to struggle against your restraints, but he only shook his head, “struggle too hard and you’ll only do my work for me. It will cut you, and cut you deep.” The rumble of a motorcycle roared up the path to his house, and he went for the lights. You only struggled further, knocking yourself and the chair over, the clatter catching him off guard.

The motorcycle shut off, lights no longer visible in the window. You screamed, “ARTHUR! ARTHUR! RUN-“ His hand wrapped around your throat, cutting off your screams. Silence washed over the room. You heard heavy steps approach the door, before kicking it open.

Black Manta peered through the dark, and you saw nothing, “Where-“ A rush of water flooded through the windows and door, sweeping both Black Manta and you into its murky depths. The water pulled you towards the door, while Black Manta thrashed against a singular whirlpool that had formed in the middle of the living room.

You struggled against the water, but finally gave into its grasp, as a red haired woman emerged. Pulling a knife from her waist, she cut your restraints, and you coughed up water, “Sorry, I’m Mera, Y/N. We don’t have time for introductions. We need to get you away from here.”

“Arthur-“ you managed to choke out, stumbling away from the house, but sparing a glance backwards, “where’s Arthur?”

“He’s fighting Black Manta, and presumably winning,” she wrapped an arm around you, frowning when you stopped in your steps to stare back at the house, “he’s beat him before. He’s an idiot, but he’s a King and a hero. He’ll be fine.” Your eyes stung, knees buckling as you realized there wasn’t a thing you could do to help him, not a damn thing, “Hey,” she took you by the shoulders, “the best thing for you is to get you and Arthur as far away from that house as possible. I know you want to help, but this will help. He’s fighting in there, for you. He’ll make it through.”

You slowly nodded, turning from the house, as Mera helped you into a car, parked down near the beach, “Is this yours?”

Mera shrugged, “We’re borrowing it.” You spared one last glance at the house. Arthur…please. Be okay.

* * *

“You had said that killing me was your prize,” Arthur growled, clutching his trident, knuckles white. He bore the armor of his people, as their King. Black Manta coughed, crouched before him after the whirlpool settled around them, “but now, it’ll be mine.”

Black Manta’s choking turned to laughter, “Your pathetic brother tell you that? Well, he’s going to have to ask the sea for mercy for you.” Without hesitation, Black Manta shot his laser, red beam zooming past Arthur’s head. He dropped to his knees, charging at Manta with his trident. Sparks flew as his trident clashed with Manta’s blade. Arthur swung a punch at him, clanging harmlessly off his armor, “you’re going to have to better than that.”

Arthur grabbed him by the blade, twisting him around to catch him in a headlock, pounding on his helmet, “How hard do I have to hit to get it through that bonehead skull of yours? Stay away from us, or pay the consequences.” 

“I’ll take the consequences,” His jetpack glowed red, propelling them forward, ramming him through the wall. He flung him, sending him sprawling onto the beach, near where the waves crested the sand. The waves crashed softly against the shore, even as Arthur hit the ground, sending a plume of sand up all around him.

Black Manta stepped forward, dusting his armor off, as Arthur got to his feet.

Arthur only grinned, “I was hoping you would do that,” Arthur called forth the ocean to do his bidding, doing as Mera had taught him, and forming spears of water to blast him backwards, cracking his armor as he hit the craggy rocks of the cliff. Arthur roared, charging at him once again. Black Manta deflected, extending his blades to block, before thrusting it into Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur groaned, but grabbed the blade, ripping it from his body, fresh with his blood, before twisting it, and sending Black Manta sprawling into a sand dune. Arthur towered over him, picking up his trident and pressing it into his skin, “now who told you about her?”

Manta laughed, even as Arthur ripped his helmet off, and tossed it into the ocean, “Let’s say we had a mutual friend,” Arthur lifted his fist for another swing, but saw Black Manta’s gaze fall upon a car still driving over the ridge above the beach, “ah, there’s my ride.” He tossed a fistful of sand into Arthur’s eyes, beginning to jet away, but Arthur clung to his foot, trident in his other hand, clawing at it as Manta took off.

“MERA! DRIVE FASTER!” Arthur’s stomach banged into the railing against the ridge, groaning, knocking the air from his stomach, as Black Manta landed in front of the car. He revved up his lasers, glowing red, even as the car swerved. Arthur threw his trident like a javelin, sending the middle prong right through his foot. Black Manta yelped in pain, growling as he turned his lasers on Arthur. However, the car had stopped, honking, catching their attention, and instead of driving off, the car pulled into reverse,

“Oh hell no,” Black Manta said. They sent Black Manta crashing backwards, his head bashing against the concrete, dazed. Arthur climbed over the railing, sprinting at his motionless body, but once again his jets turned on, and this time, he fled. Sparing one last glance at Arthur, he gave him a grin. Arthur tried to move, but he winced, clutching at his shoulder, blood still dripping down his body. He looked to the car. There would another time to chase him down. He slumped over, panting, as you emerged from the car, slamming the door behind you.

“Arthur? Arthur!” your chest heaved, eyes wild, as your hand brushed against his wound, “You’re bleeding,” He shook his head quieting your worries with a small smile, resting his forehead against yours, “are you okay?”

He laughed, wrapping his good arm around your shoulders, “I should be asking you that, and I will: are you okay?”

You nodded, your eyes stung, “I told you not to come for a reason, you idiot.”

“I know, but aren’t you glad I did? You got to see Aquaman in action,” you chuckled, his fingers brushing away your tears, gaze falling on his bruises and cuts, “I heal real fast, remember? Do you want an autograph?”

You scoffed, tears slipping down your cheeks, “I know, and no, I don’t,” your hands rested on his shoulders, leaning back to see his lips curled in a smile, “I just don’t like to see you hurt.”

“We have that in common,” he smiled, as he saw you smile for the first time in a long time.

“I love you,”

“I love you too,” he murmured, and you pressed a kiss to his forehead, but it wasn’t enough for him. He captured your lips, and you hesitated, even as his fingers tilting your chin forward to deepen it. He tugged on your bottom lip with his teeth, and that’s when your hand went slowly around his good shoulder, pulling him closer, “Ow!”

“Sorry!” you squeaked, holding your hands up in surrender, until you saw the twinkle of mischief in his eyes, “Okay I was glad you were alive, now I’m not so sure.”

“I agree with that,” Mera called, heading over from the car.

“I’m sorry, who just backed over Black Manta with a car?” He replied, eyebrows raised.

“Her idea, actually,” Mera held up her hands in her defense, pointing to you, “don’t hold that over me. You still are the one who got your strategies from a children’s book, and it seems like your girlfriend is no better.”

Your head snapped over to him, mouth agape, “You told her?”

“If your display wasn’t enough already, and our conversation earlier,” Mera said, crossing her arms, “yes, he told me, after this moron realized you were in danger. I was nearby after escorting him back to the surface, so he called on me to help,” she held out a hand to you, “It’s nice to meet you, though not under these circumstances.” You took it slowly, nodding, a small smile on your lips.

Arthur broke the silence, “I’m sorry,” he sighed, pushing his hair back, “I was unfair to both of you, and my people, to keep you a secret all this time.”

“Arthur-“ he shook his head, pressing a kiss to your palm.

“You are the last person I would ever want to keep secrets from, when you handled mine so well,” Arthur said, eyes sad, “when I thought you wanted to leave me, I realized how stupid I had been.”

“Really stupid,” Mera agreed, Arthur shooting her a glare, “Now that I’m done cleaning up your mess, I am going to head home and start to get everyone ready for the news.”

“News?” you asked, and they exchanged a glance, staying silent, “what news?” Mera bid her goodbyes, before disappearing into the water, “Arthur?”

“Come on,” he held out his hand, rising to his feet unsteadily, “let’s go somewhere else.”

You both walked in an easy silence down the beach, hand resting in his, allowing his warmth and weight to comfort you. You glanced at him, you had missed him so much while he had been away. He paused at a cove at the edge of the beach, and you peered at it curiously, “I always wanted to bring you here, but I never had the right opportunity,” he tugged you forward, and you hesitated, “do you trust me?” he offered a smile, and you nodded, following behind him.

“What’s going on Arthur?” He didn’t respond, finally after walking through, you spotted a literal light at the end of the tunnel. As you happened upon it, you gasped, covering your mouth. It was a cliffside view of the water down below, waves crashing down below on the crag, while white seafoam washed up. The sea was now a dark inky black, but the stars and moon had settled in above in the night sky, glinting off the water, “Arthur, it’s beautiful.” You turned to find him down on one knee, “Arthur?”

“Not as beautiful as you, Y/N,” he said, smiling, “never as beautiful as you.”

“Wait, Arthur,” and his smile wavered, as he took pause, “no, no, I just mean, you’re not doing this because of what I said, are you? Because I only said it to get you to stay away.” He wanted you to get Arthur to come to the house, to think there was something wrong. You had hoped that you would be able to deter him from coming, that breaking his heart would be enough – but instead it did what you had lied to Black Manta about. It brought him right into danger, “I didn’t want him to get to you.”

“I know,” he rose, taking your hand, “but some of it was true wasn’t it?”

You frowned, “I just didn’t want to be a secret anymore. I just thought you were going to leave the moment they found someone for you, and I would lose you to this whole other world I don’t know anything about.”

“You’re my world, Y/N,” Arthur said softly, “you’re my love and my life. You’re the reason I try to do good in the world. I was trying to keep you separate because I didn’t want to disappoint you, or Atlantis. And I didn’t want you to see the danger I’m in.”

“But if we get married, I’ll have to,” he cracked a rueful smile.

“I know, but after seeing you back over Black Manta, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble handling some stuck-up Atlanteans,” you laughed, before pressing a sweet kiss to his lips, and carefully urging him downwards.

“I believe you had something to ask me.” Arthur grinned, pulling a ring from his back pocket.

“This is my mother’s,” he said, “she wanted me to propose with it. Wouldn’t take no for an answer,”

“Arthur, ye-“ Your voice broke.

“It’s my turn to talk,” his eyes shining, as you covered your mouth with your hands, “will you make me the happiest man to ever live, and marry me?”

You nodded, allowing him to slip the ring on your finger, before you pulled him up into a kiss, your hands raking his through his hair, slipping around his neck, “Ow,” he winced, still smiling, “that really did hurt.” He added, as your suspicious look fell, and you pressed another kiss to his lips, and another, and another, “but I would take any amount of pain, for my queen.” He winked.

“Your queen?”

“Yes,” he pressed another kiss, “now and forever.”


End file.
